Method of making marine structures



July 30, 1935. E. M. WICHERT METHOD OF MAKING MARINE STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 30, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR July 30, 1935. E. M. WICHERT METHOD OF MAKING MARINE STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 30. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I METHOD OF MAKING MARINE STRUCTURES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 30. 1934 INVENTOR July 3@, 1935. E. M. WICHERT 2,009,461

METHOD OF MAKING MARINE STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 30, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTIOR Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING MARINE STRUCTURES Ernest M. Wichert, Wilkinsburg, 2a., assignor to The Wichert Continuous Bridge Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 30,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for constructing marine piers or supports and its'primary object is to build a support or pier of assured strength and durability, at a'very 5 greatly reduced cost.

' This application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 695,110, filed November 25, 1933. v

In the construction of piers, founded on the bottom of streams, lakes, oceans, etc., the common practice is to construct them either by the cofier-dam method or by the caisson method. In either case'the masonry is carried into the marine bottom either to bed rock or other strata of great bearing power, or in the event that such strata are located at great depth belowthe marine surface, piles are driven into the marine bottom and the masonry is carried thereon. Even in this case, however, the masonry extends several feet into the marine bottom and. the piles lie entirely therebelow. g

As a pier is primarily and essentially the lower portion of a support for a superstructure, such as a bridge, it is logical that a support or pier of maximum strength and minimum weight will result in the most satisfactory substructure, both economically and physically, but because of present limitations of construction and design, piers as now constructed require large quantities of masonry with consequent great weight.

By my invention it is possible to construct a marine pier of high quality and at'low cost. Such pier comprises legs extending into the marine bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom, the legs preferably terminating adjacent the normal surface level of the water, and a cap encasing the tops of the legs, the bottom of thecap being spaced from the marine bottom. My inven tion provides a new form of pier in that the piles extendupwardly from the marine bottom and carry a cap spaced from the bottom, which cap preferably extends above the normal surface level of the water. Such arrangement permits of great economies in construction andat the same time provides a highly satisfactory pier. The piles may be driven and tested, and after testing the cap may be applied with the assurance that the piles will carry the load. l

It has heretofore been considered impractical to use piers consisting of piles driven into the marine bottom and extending upwardly to or near the surface of the water with the cap thereover for the reason that if the cap'would be installed above the water surface the upper exposed portions of the piles would be subject to 1934, Serial No. 708,992

more or less rapid deterioration. On the other hand to construct a cap'sothat its bottom would extend several feet below the water surface would result in a cap of doubtful strength and durability, as suchf'concrete would tend to be honeycombed and therefore would insecurely connect the upper portions of the supporting piles.- My invention also provides 'a novel method and apparatus whereby the improved pier may be expeditiously constructed. It'will be understood, however, that other methods and apparatus may be used.

Preferably I form the cap by placing a chamber over the piles or other legs employed, applying air pressure in the chamber to lower the water level in an amount sufficient to expose normally submerged portionscf the piles or legs, andcasting concrete around the exposed portions while maintaining a lowered water level in the chamber. It is possible in this manner to readily form the cap and to keep water away from it while the concrete is setting. It is thereby possible to employ a concrete mix of the proper water content for maxim mstrength Most important, however, is the fact that the concrete thoroughly bonds 'with the piles and honeycombing is'elimihated. It is therefore possible to cast a cap which to all-intents and purposes becomes integral with the piles. The cap provides a. firm base on which the super-structure maybe erected and carried. The piles adequately support the load and they are protected in the one place where marine piling is subjected to deterioration, namely, adjacent the surface.

This pneumatic water surface regulator which I employ has preferably a chamber of such size and construction that workmen may enter the same through'a suitable air lock. According to' using several such regulators a long series or caps may be expeditiously cast.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example only present preferred embodiments, of the invention,v

V Figure 1 is a vertical section illustrating a representative pier which it is desired to construct; I

Figure 2 isa top plan view showing the location of the piles in place and the chamber surrounding the same, the chamber being shown in cross section;

Figure 3 is a vertical section showing the regulator over the piles;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the regulator partly broken away;

Figure 5 is a transverse section showing the concrete form in place;

Figure 6 is a side elevation thereof, partly broken away;

Figure 7 is an end view of a modified form of regulator; and

Figures 8 to 11 inclusive are diagrammatic views illustrating successive steps in the use thereof to form a cap.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a body of water W having a bottom B and a surface S in which it is desired to construct a pier. This pier consists of piles 2'driven into the bottom to the desired depth, a cap 3 extending above the surface of the water, and a pedestal 4 in the form of a frustum of a cone on top of the cap 3. It is contemplated that the pedestal 4 canbe cast in the open air at anytime after the cap 3 has been cast.

Figure 1 shows three rows of .pilesandFigure 2 shows eight piles in-arow, thereby making a group of '24 piles constituting the supporting structure of the pier; These piles may be driven by usual methods and placed within reasonable limits'of accuracy. At the same time; that the piles 2 are driven, I also drive piles 5 which are used for supporting the complete pneumatic water surface regulator. When the piles have been driven I place over them the regulator within whose chamber the subsequent work is largely carried on. The regulator may be floated into place and lowered or it may be brought alongside the piles on a barge and lifted into place by a derrick-boat. Preferably, after it has been positioned over the piles 2, it is suspended from a super-structure 6' carried by the temporary piles 5. In Figure 3 I have shown the regulator whose chamber is indicated generally by the reference character 1, as being suspended by chain blocks 6 so that it may be raised or lowered at will. It will be understood, of course, that the regulator may be secured against movement by wind or by water currents in any suitable fashion, as by braces or struts 9 extending from the piles 5. H I

The chamber is made of plate metal suitably reinforced and is made airtight. It has a water tank l0 at the top int-o which water may be pumped so as to weight the chamber and seal it at the lower edges. I have showna pump II for supplying water to the tank In and a drain valve I2 for emptying it.

Anair lock 13, provided with doors i4, is arranged at one end of the chamber and, aswill be noted from Figure 4, thelock is placed suf ficiently high that the doors will be above water in any normal operative position of the regulator. An air pump I5 is shown for pumping air under pressure into the chamber. The usual valves for operating the air lock will be provided, but

these are well known and require no description.

It will be understood that for my-purposesonly a few pounds pressure per square inch in the ,sure applied so as to-lower thewater level,'workmen in the chamber proceed to build the form around the exposed upper ends of the piles. A

platform I6 is provided for the workmen and the material required is kept within the chamber as, for example, on shelves I? within ready reach. If desired, chain blocks l8 running on overhead trolleys I 9 may be employed for handling the form material and the reinforcing steel.

Coming now to the construction of the form proper, the first step is to attach supporting members to the piles 2. These supporting members are shown in Figures 5 and 6 as timbers 26 extending in the short dimension of the pier,

there being atimber connected to each set of three piles. If desired, the piles may be formed with sidewise extending bolts therein, or timbers may be placed on each side of a group of piles and clamped to the piles by means of draw bolts, .01, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, U-bolts 2| may be employed. The above description is only rep" resentative of the various ways in which the supporting timbers may be secured to the piles to support the form proper.

After the supports 26' are in. place, planks'29a are laid thereover, and then pieces 22 of wood or other suitable material are :placed across the spaces between planks 20a and between adjacent piles 2 so as to form a substantially continuous bottom for the form. Cleats 23 are fastened in place around the edges of the structure and studs 24 are erected Within the cleats. The studscarry planking, 25 forming, the side, and end walls of the form. These side and end portions maybe fabricated and placed in the bell before the actual construction of the form commences so that it remains for the workmen merelyto'place and assemble them.- The studs are connected across the top by ties 26 and a binder 21 is placed around the entire structure to stiffen and reinforcethe same. The form may,of course, be in any desired shape and size depending upon the form and size of cap which it is desired to cast,

The reinforcement is placed in the form at any desired time during the construction thereof. In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a bottom reinforcement consisting of longitudinal rods 28 and cross rods 29 supported on chairs 30 from the bottom of the form, and I have also shown a top reinforcement consisting. of longitudinal rods 3| and transverse rods 32 suspended by wires 33 from the ties 25. The particular reinforcement employed will depend upon the specifications for the job.

After the form has been prepared, the concrete will be poured. In Figures 3 and 4 I have shown a means for introducing concrete to the chamber without such loss of air pressure as would cause the water to rise in the chamber and reach the form. The regulator is provided in the top portion with a pair of hoppers 34 having airtight lids 35and bottom valves 36 which in this case are shown as being operable from the inside by a handle 31 and from the outside by a handle 38 connected to a rod which extends through a packing gland 39. The hoppers are also provided with a valved air-pressure connec tion 40. When it is desired to place concrete in the form, the bottom valve 36 of a hopper 34 is closed, the lid 35 is opened, and the hopper is filled with concrete. The lid is then closed and the valve 36 is opened. A hinging chute-4|, normally raised to the top portion of the regulator, but movable, asshown in dotted lines in Figure 4, to any desired position, carries the concrete from the hoppe1 34 to the form; If need be, air pressure may be applied through the connection 40 to force the concrete past the valve 35.. By using a pair of hoppers 2-34 the casting of the concrete may proceed uninterruptedly until the form is filled.

Suitable connections for electric lighting and for telephoning between the inside and the outside of the chamber may be provided.

When the cap 3 has been cast, the regulator will be left in place and the air pressure maintained therein until the concrete has had an opportunity to set. desired, steam may be supplied to the inside of the chamber at this time or some other heating means may be employed for hastening the setting. Once the concrete has been properly set, the water may be allowed to rise without danger that the quality of the cap or its connection to the piles will be affected. The regulator may then be removed. The form may be stripped from the cap at any desired time, preferably by removing the binder 27 and the ties 26 so that the side and end portions of the form may be stripped off as units. The bo tom will be left in place. The pedestal 4 may be cast at any time and, of course, suitable reinforcing such as shown, for example, at 42 in Figure 5, may be provided so that there will be reinforcements extending from the cap into the pedestal.

Figure 7 shows a modified apparatus for carrying out my invention. It comprises a structure in the general form of an inverted U made up of a top frame 59 and downwardly extending hollow side portions 55 These side portions provide buoyancy for the entire structure so that it may be floated into position. One end of the structure is closed on by a bulkhead 52 and a sliding door 53 working in ways 5% and adapted to be raised and lowered by a hoist mechanism 55 mounted on the top frame 58. The other end is permanently closed 01f and an air look, not shown, is formed therein. The door 53 can be raised to permit of moving the apparatus into position over the pile which it is desired to cap, after which the door can be lowered and sealed in any suitable manner to withstand the internal air pressure. Since I have described the various features of construction of the regulator i1lustrated in Figures 3 and 4, I have not illustrated such details with respect to Figure 7 except those peculiar to the modification, it being understood that the several features of construction heretofore described may be used in this embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 shows the regulator floated into position over the piles 1?. The door is then lowered sealed, the regulator is anchored in any convenient way and is ready for lowering. This is accomplished by operating pumps, indicated diagrammatically at 56, which discharge into and partially fill the hollow side members 5| with water. This causes lowering of the chamber as indicated in Figure 9, the degree of submergence being determined by the amount of water fed in. The air pressure is then applied and the water level lowered within the chamber to permit of building the platform 5'! upon which the cap is to be poured. In this embodiment of the invention I have illustrated a permanent form member 58 which is suspended from the top of the chamber by cables 59. When out of use it is held in raised position in the chamber as indicated in Figure 8, but when the cap is to be cast it is lowered onto the platform 57, as indicated in Figure 9, and supplied with concrete from the hopper 50. After the cap has been poured the form is raised and the wa ter expelled from the side members 5| by means of discharge pumps indicated at '6 l thereby raising the regulator in the water, and after the end door has been opened,

permitting of its being floated away leaving the total dead load (including piers and superstructure) may be reduced 50% or more as compared with usual constructions, and yet are of assured stability.

The improved structure herein disclosed is more specifically described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 750,376, filed October 27, 1934. The apparatus employed is more specifically described and claimed in my application Serial No. 750,375, filed October 27, 1934.

The forms which I have illustrated and de scribed are by way of example only, and it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied or practiced Within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In the method of making marine structures, the steps consisting in placing a pile extending into the marine bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom, placing a chamber in the water around the upper portion of the pile with its bottom terminating above the marine bottom and with its top extending above the water level, lowering the water level within such chamber to expose a normally submerged portion of the pile and, while maintaining the lowered water level, encasing the exposed portion of the pile with a material of a character to protect such portion of the pile from deterioration during normal submergence and to that'end effecting substantially permanent union between such material and a normally submerged portion of the pile.

2. In the method of making marine structures, the steps consisting in placing a pile extending into the marine bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom, placing a bell over the pile, applying pressure in the bell to lower the water level therein in an amount sufficient to expose a normally submerged portion of the pile and, while maintaining the lowered water level, encasing the exposed portion of the pile with a material of a character to protect such portion of the pile from deterioration during normal submergence and to that end efiecting substantially permanent union between such material and a normally submerged portion of the pile.

3. In the method of making marine structures, the steps consisting in placing a pile extending into the marine bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom, placing a chamber in the water around the upper portion of the pile with its bottom terminating above the marine bottom and with its top extending above the water level, lowering the water level within such chamber to expose a normally submerged portion of the pile and, while maintaining a lowered water level, casting a cementitious material around the exposed portion of the pile.

4. In the method of making marine structures, the steps consisting in placing a pile extending into the marine bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom, placing a bell over the pile, applying pressure in the bell to lower the water level therein in an amount suflicient to expose a normally submerged portion of the pile, and casting concrete around such portion while maintaining a lowered water level in the bell.

5. In the method of making marine structures, the steps consisting in placing a pile extending into the marine bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom, placing a chamber in the water around the upper portion of the pile with its bottom terminating above the marine bottom and with its top extending above the water level, lowering the water level within such chamber to expose a normally submerged portion of the pile, placing a form within the chamber and surrounding the upper portion of the pile, maintaining the water level below the form, and casting cementitious material therein and allowing it to set.

ERNEST M. WICHERT. 

